USAF Must Create a Five-Year C-130 Basing Plan

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees Fiscal 2015 defense authorization agreement requires the Air Force to submit a five-year basing plan for C-130H and J-variant aircraft to Congress. It also prohibits USAF from transferring any C-130s until the Air Force Secretary and the Comptroller General have conducted a full cost-benefit analysis of any desired transfers. In addition, the report must certify that units with modular airborne firefighting system-equipped C-130s “would not be negatively affected by the proposed transfers,” states the agreement summary. “We do not intend that the prohibition on transfer of C-130 aircraft apply to movements of aircraft associated with normal Air Force management of the C-130 fleet, such as transferring aircraft between units and depots in conjunction with conducting regular maintenance or upgrades of the aircraft,” states the summary.